Apprehension
by Cherrylin
Summary: "She had begged me for help... help I didn't offer." September 1983. Despite Mion clearly expressed fear, nobody really thought about it.. before she went missing. Mild KeiiMi. Rated M for violence, suggestive words/scenes and blood. Short chapters. - Rewrite in the making. -
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_Those eyes... they had been pleading for help. Despite I obviously could see that, I hadn't questioned her. I hadn't offered my help. After all, she _is _Mion; our stubborn, strong and proud club leader. If that girl ever got trouble, certainly she wouldn't want to talk about it. At very least, not with me. Of course I don't know if she opens her heart to her sister; perhaps it's likely, but it doesn't seem very "Mion" to me. _

_.._

_Then what _does _seem like "Mion"?_

_As I ask myself that question, I suddenly know that I've never considered Mion could be sad. I've always seen her as that happy-go-lucky tomboy, a girl with a bright smile on her face and a dirty mind, a happy gamer. Yet... those eyes... They had been filled with sorrow and fear. She had been looking at me for so long in school, only taking her eyes off me when I looked back. During the club activity, a simple game of old maid, she had been so distracted that she messed up the game itself. Everyone knew something wasn't right, but I had been the only one she had directly _stared _at. Shion had been convinced that her twin was coming down with a fever, but those eyes..._

_Those soft, torqoise eyes. Filled with agony and terror, glistening with unshed tears. And I hadn't done anything about it. It was so obvious she had wanted to talk to me. But why hadn't she..? She talked to me _daily_; why couldn't she open her mouth and say what she wanted to say? Had she wanted to speak with me... alone? Then why hadn't she dragged me into a corner? It wasn't that hard..._

_

* * *

_

**[Author's Notes] **Hi everyone. I wonder what Mion's afraid of? *snicker*.

Anyway. This story was intended as a one-shot when I started writing it, so the chapters are quite short. Also, it's just some random writing, so please bear in mind that the story might not make perfect sense.


	2. Chapter 1: Omission

**Chapter 1: Omission  
**

The young teenage boy let his mind race from where he laid. The day had been so unusual, and the more the thought about it, the more worried he became; it simply wasn't like his tomboy friend to be depressed. He cast a brief glance upon the clock on his wall; 19:21. Then he sat up, turning toward his table. With hesitation, he put his hand on the phone, still considering whether it was a good idea to call her; he didn't want to hurt her pride.

After a long and heavy sigh, he dialled the number.

_Biiip... _

_Biiip..._

_Biiip..._

"Heck, girl, pick up the phone..." The boy muttered, displeased. He was about to end the call, feeling a pang of regret to call.

_Biiip..._

_Biiip..._

_"Sonozaki Estate, Shion."_

His heart skipped a beat with surprise. She sounded busy. "H-hi Shion. It's Keiichi."

_"I assume you want to talk to Mion..?"_

"I-yeah... How'd you know?"

_"Because, for one thing, she acted quite strange today, and two, she's not home."_

"Wait, she isn't!" Keiichi clenched his hand around the phone tighter. "Where is she then? She 'alright?"

_"Fucking stop acting, and tell me where my sister is,"_ Shion growled fiercely at the other end of the phone. _"I saw she was looking at you all the time! And not only that she was looking at you, but also the fear in her eyes! Don't think you can fool me; what have you told her! Or should I ask, 'what are you forcing her through'!"_

"I.." Keiichi was stunned. "Shion, I'm being honest with you, I have no idea what you're getting at..."

_"Oooh, of course not,"_ sarcasm filled her growling, _"because her disappearance has nothing to do with your call."_

"It has! Or, no, no, wait, that wasn't what I m-"

_"YOU'RE LYING!"_

Keiichi bit his bottom lip; he had messed up. Of course he didn't call because she had disappeared; how could he have known? Trying to cool down, he carefully continued the conversation. "I'm calling because I'm worried."

_"Worried that whatever plan you have, it got screwed up."_

"Shion, please.." Why was she accusing him? Did she really think he ever would do Mion harm?

_"Stop this game, Keiichi. Just stop it."_

"For Heaven's sake, will you please let me explain!"

_"Yes! Fucking yes, explain why she's gone! NOW!"_

"I.. I don't know where she is!"

_"Then what did you want to explain, huh?"_

Her accusation didn't make sense in his head, but.. perhaps this was what sisterly love was all about. After all, those two would protect each other with their life if they had to. He sighed, trying to remain calm. "Sonozaki Shion.. I called only because I wanted to know if your sister was alright.. Believe me, Shion... I don't want to make enemies with you for something ridiculous like this."

_"Fine, whatever... I'm ending the call; there's quite a turmoil in the family, ya know."_

"I understand... If Mion comes home later, please tell her I've called, okay?"

_"Meh.. sure."_

Without even a 'goodbye', the call was cut. With his violet eyes, Keiichi stared quite blankly at the wall, then turned his head to the calendar. Wednesday.. Mion had martial arts class today, but apparently, she had never gotten home. He regretted not asking Shion for more details, but surely they had already called her sensei to make sure she wasn't there.

...had she even attended?

The boy decided that this was crucial if he was to find her, and dialled the number again.

* * *

**[Author's Notes]** Aw. Bad Shion, bad!


	3. Chapter 2: Suspicion

**Chapter 2: Suspicion  
**

She had only just walked away when the phone rung once more. The girl turned around and picked it up again, hope quickening her heart; hope that somebody had found her sister.

"Sonozaki Estate, Shion."

_"Eh... hi. Again."_

"..You damn better have a good reason to call yet again," Shion spat feriously, disappointed to hear Keiichi's voice.

_"I'll go look for Mion, but I-"_

"Tch, where, in your backyard, chained to a dog-house? Or perhaps in your basement?"

_"Honestly, why would I even do that!" _He sounded suspeciously surprised.

"Who knows? Hardcore bondage, perhaps?"

_"WHAT? Goodness, Shion, what do you think of me? I'd never do something like that!"_

"Whatever. I'm busy."

_"Then stop interrupting me! Besides, if you really think I'm having her locked up somewhere, then come investigate my house!"_

She laughed; insanely. "It'd be useless; you're clever enough to plan this out carefully. Clearly you have her somewhere else. These calls are only an attempt to clean your name first, ain't I right?" Pain prodded Shion; she really didn't want to talk with Keiichi this way. It hurt to be so mean to him, but what could she believe? The way Mion had been looking at Keiichi all day.. it was as if she was afraid of him, and there had to be a reason for that.

_"Oi, Shion..." _His voice sounded somewhat tearful and upgiving. _"Please just tell me what... what has happened, and when she disappeared. Did she attend her martial arts class?"_

"Yes."

_"Did she get home afterward?"_

"No."

_"How do you usually do this..? I mean, does your parents pick her up by car, or does she take the bike herself?"_

"What sounds most like her to you?"

_"Bike..?"_

"Yeah."

_"So, she's going there and home alone?"_

"Yes."

_"..Isn't there a possibility she.. never reached the class?"_

"We've already talked to her sensei; she disappeared after the lesson."

_"..that sounds rather suspecious to me."_

Shion frowned, kind of showing her teeth despite he couldn't see her. "Don't suspect her sensei! He's far too rightous for that, and Mion's his favorite student after all. There's no way he'd want to hurt her!" Yet, her spine shivered; what if Keiichi was right? What if that aged man really had... taken her..?

_"I see... I certainly hope she's alright... she... Is it possible that.. she might've ended up in an accident?"_

Shion sighed and decided to soften; she couldn't remain angry at Keiichi all the time. It probably wasn't his fault, but it was so hard to know who to trust. "Perhaps, but then she's taken a different route than usual... that'll say, through dense forest and stuff. We've already had family members and friends look through Okinomiya for her, but there's not a single trace of my sister.."

Keiichi went silent, making worry prick Shion's beating heart.

"Keiich-.. Kei-chan?"

_"She... was so sad all day... Looking at me..."_

"Yeah.. I know that, Einstein." Shion sighed again, this time more hopelessly. _Stop stating the obvious.. it's a waste of time._

_"Have I done something wrong..? Is.. is there any reason for her to be.. angry at me, or depressed because of me?"_

Shion hesitated. Obviously, she knew Mion loved this boy; but she doubted that this had anything to do with it.

"No, you haven't," she hoped she wasn't lying. "But.. I've really got to go now."

_"I hope she's not.. hurt herself..."_ Keiichi muttered, obviously not meant for Shion to hear.

Though, she didn't ignore those words. Panic flowed in the teenage girl's veins. "Please don't mention something like that..."

_"Sorry.. bye."_

"Bye... Oh, and.. Kei-chan? If you find her, or any clue-"

_"I'll tell as soon as possible... don't worry."_

Shion put the phone down. Cold liquid trickled down her soft cheeks, the thought of Mion deliberately trying to hurt herself growing painfully stronger. It would make some kind of sense, taking into consideration how she went missing. Yet, she couldn't believe that. Not so quickly. If Mion ever was to harm herself, to take her own life, then she would've been depressed for a while first, which Mion hadn't... had she..?

No. She hadn't. The twins spent only few hours apart. Shion would've noticed if her sister became depressed. The possibility that her sensei was responsible suddenly became dangerously high in her heart.

* * *

**[Author's Notes]** I wonder, I wonder... *more snickering* Anyhow, next chapter is Mion POV... which is why I won't upload it today, HAH! :3


	4. Chapter 3: Apprehension

**Chapter 3: Apprehension  
**

Her long, emerald ponytail was dragged after her in the wind as she biked, a lot faster than she usually did. The girl's heart was beating with panic and her eyes almost shed tears; she had to get home, _now_. Despite she had felt strong enthusiasm and confidence during the martial arts class, all those pleasant feelings had left her the second she had stepped outside the building. Instead, those feelings had been replaced by fear and regret; she regretted ever leaving Hinamizawa, but how would she explain to her family that she didn't want to go? Even if she had a slight fever, she always attended. If she had been throwing up earlier, or even had broken a limb, she would be attending. Maybe she couldn't do anything particularly useful, but just being there was important for her; there was no way her family wouldn't question her if she didn't go today, a day where nothing was wrong - except her obvious distraction. More regret was filling the trembling body as her mind remembered Keiichi; she had wanted to tell him the truth, confess to him what was going on, but yet she hadn't. Foolish. Moronic. Idiotic. Retarded. If she just had talked to him, told him what danger she was in, she might not have had to doubt whether she'd be breathing tomorrow...

As she biked down the steep turn, she suddenly noticed the loud noise of a car. Breaking out of her trance and looking up, she managed to recognize the black limo as the exact thing she had wanted to avoid - but it was already too late for her to react properly, to change the fate that was awaiting her. She didn't have enough time to grit her teeth, but she mentally damned her habit of biking in the middle of the road. Rather drastically, she steered the bike to the opposite side, toward the edge of the cliff, in an attempt to be able to pass the large vehicle. Then she suddenly lost control of the bike as the back wheel get hit by the car's front, the girl getting thrown forward when the bike disappeared under her. Her hands landed on the rocky terrain at the other side of the barrier, her weight making her wrists make loud 'cracks' when she was thrust into a somersault. She was fully conscious, rolling and falling down the hard rocks in bouncing-like movements, hitting every part of her body. Her skin was scraped open and much of her clothing almost torn off. Pain stirred in her when her hip suddenly collided into an especially sharp stone, the affliction almost knocking her out.

Her body was paralyzed with the hurting as soon as she hit the ground. She didn't feel the grass as "soft"; the fall had made her body horribly injured, and the commotion with the ground only added to the already-intense agony. She was in so much pain that she felt partially numb, as if some of her limbs were asleep. Pebbles then joined her, appearing in the grass beside her from all over the cliff. The girl turned her heavy, aching head weakly back up toward the road, seeing dark human shapes carefully find their footing down toward her. Fear grabbed her slow-beating heart, even more so when she realized she couldn't get away; she weakly tried to get up, but all her attempts were in vain. The only single time she managed to stand up with the support of a tree, she collapsed to the ground from her exhaustion, even before she had attempted to take the first step.

"No... please... don't..." she wheezed, getting eye-contact with one of the dark figures. The men seemed to grin at her, and sadism lit their eyes. Tears were starting to come forth from the teenage girl, not only in fear, but also from pain; the previously numb limbs were starting to throb with refreshing pain.

Low laughter reached her ears as one of the men tilted his head, his dark eyes showing no mercy. "Heh, you lost... Mion-chan."

**'''''**

Keiichi had been forced to wait till his parents had gone to bed; they'd never allow him outside, especially not this late. He cast a quick glance at the clock. It was almost midnight, and it was raining heavily outside. Mion still hadn't been found, according to Shion. He got up and left his room, carefully and silently sneaking down the stairs. Putting on his jacket and taking the keys, the boy left the house, all lights switched off, and locked the door. As soon as he was outside, he made sure his parents hadn't seen him, then went to get his bike. There wasn't a trace of tiredness in the young boy; all his senses had rather been sharpened, his determination burning like fire; he _had _to find Mion, no matter what it would take. Keiichi barely felt the rain dripping on himself; he felt only concerned about what condition Mion was in, hoping she at very least was shielded from the rain.

He was quite observant while driving toward Okinomiya, looking for clues in the ground in an attempt to find out about the girl's whereabouts. He was especially trying to find traces near the edges of the road, since it was possible she had left the route at one point or another. Though, the darkness wasn't helping, and the light on his bike wasn't really strong anymore, so it quickly became difficult for Keiichi. He reached the mountainside of the route, not enjoying the turns; it was hard to spot an oncoming car, especially in this weather and time of night. Then suddenly, he saw long, dark marks on the road. He slowed down until he halted, starring at them while his mind raced. Keiichi went to Okinomiya often enough to know that these marks weren't old, but if they were from today, he couldn't tell. The teenage boy took his time inspecting the area, kind of hoping he was close to Mion and the truth of what had happened. There was no blood on the road, so even if it looked like a car had had a hard brake, it didn't seem like anyone had been hit. Then he suddenly eyed the edge of the road, fear making his heart beat faster. He carefully approached the cliff, trembling slightly. Could she... really have fallen down there..? Swallowing, he carefully looked over the barrier, but it was too dark to see anything at all.

"Mion!" The boy's desperate voice cried out, echoing in the forest far beneath him. "Mion! Are you there!"

He waited, but no answer ever came. Keiichi backed a little away, trying to think straight. If she really _had _fallen down there, then there wasn't much chance she was still alive - but if she was, she was in a critical state and needed help as fast as possible; anything else could end fatal. But on the other hand, if she was lying somewhere in a corner of the city, hurt or even raped, she was also in need of help immediately. His head turned back and forth; he'd never be able to forgive himself if he took the wrong choice; neither by wasting time here, or actually passing by her before returning to the cliff. Then Keiichi bit his bottom lip hard; he was wasting time_ now_. He let a few moments pass to think, letting his breathing get steady again. The boy sent a silent wish that the girl was okay, that she, for some reason, just didn't want to go home. Though.. that wasn't true; not Mion. Not without telling her sister or him. Yet, could it be that she had wanted to tell him today, but couldn't because of Shion? His mind was spinning, but in the end, he cut out all those theories; he didn't have time to speculate about things like that if she was lying cold somewhere, slowly dying or psychically broken beyond repair. He took his bike and decided to continue to Okinomiya; he figured that climbing the cliff, especially in this weather, would not only take too much time, but could also cost him greatly, even his own life. The possibility that she was down there also seemed unlikely; Mion was too good at biking to fall down there by accident, and too clever to choose a cliff as an attempt to kill herself if that was the case. And yet... those tire marks... weren't they enough proof that at least _something_ had happened?

Then again.. it couldn't possibly be related to Mion.

* * *

**[Author's Note] **Teeheee... Oh Keiichi, while your logic is good, it's failing a bit right now. However guys, don't call him stupid; would _you_ climb down a wet, huge cliff if you were looking for your best friend, just because there are some tiremarks in the ground, when the possibility that she's in the city is even higher? That's why I love procent; even if there's only 1% chance, there's still a chance, ya'know what I mean?

- Oh, and no, I didn't make a mistake. Of course those evil guys that were after Mion, were clever enough to take her bike. Wouldn't leave too many traces now, would they? Nyaha.

Somewhat a long chapter, as it's actually two... I just think these two are so pretty together, mwuahaha.

Anyhow, I wonder how Mion's doing down there..?


	5. Chapter 4: Affliction

**Chapter 4: Affliction**

As she watched herself in the mirror, she found herself missing the one identical to her even more, her twin, her "reflection", the other half of herself. All she saw in the mirror was not herself, but her happy and smiling tomboy sister, despite her own face was weary and tired. Even her eyes had turned red from the exhaustion, yet her sister's eyes were shining brightly in the reflection.

Tears rolled steadily down her cheeks. Shion had been awake all night, not able to sleep without knowing anything about her sister's whereabouts. She knew Keiichi was looking for her, and that brief fact made her spine shiver. "Curse of Oyashiro-sama" were the words ringing in her ears; what if Mion never was found and Keiichi ended up dead - or vice versa? It wasn't even Watanagashi, but this year, the so-called 'curse' hadn't happened after all. Even if the curse had been led by Takano, and even though she knew Hanyū was the real Oyashiro, she couldn't stop thinking about it. Slowly, her 'sister' in the mirror disappeared, leaving Shion to see only herself. She cried harder, hiding her face in her palms.

"Onee.. come home... please..." she whispered from the depths of her heart, shivering. She continued to wonder about Mion's whereabouts and the reason for her abscence. From the look of the tomboy's face earlier, she was obviously aware of some kind of danger. Whatever had happened, it hadn't been an accident. It had been on purpose.

The girl switched off the light and padded back to her and Mion's bedroom. With heavy feet, she dragged herself toward the futons, lying sorrowfully down beside the empty bed.

"Where are you, Mion.."

**'''''**

Despite the night breeze and heavy rain, Keiichi was sweating. He couldn't remember when he last had been biking so hard, but the wet asphalt didn't make anything easier. The boy was stressed to the core, worry pricking and tormenting him. He had finally reached Okinomiya, feeling as if his search first began now. The main streets were all empty, but a few houses and buildings were lit up. Entering a deeper part of the city, he jumped off his bike and dragged it by his side, letting all his senses concentrate on finding Mion.

He reached the martial arts center, noticing a police car by the entrance. The boy remained hidden in the shadows; if the police was to question him, he could get in trouble. It was long past the curfew too, and nothing good would come out of that. Keiichi did want to investigate the area, but he decided not to and continued through the streets.

Walking through the darkness, he soon reached a bit of light; a window was open, and a hell of a lot of noise escaped from the room. Keiichi felt pissed about that anyone could be happy and have fun when something like this had happened, but after all, he couldn't blame them for not knowing or being unaffected. He passed the window silently without further notice, slowly approaching a more shaded area again.

"You should'a seen that bitch's fac', Hito-kun!" A man's voice suddenly yelled up from the opened window, halting Keiichi immediately. The boy looked over his shoulder, his full attention being turned the same way.

"I wish I had, Arata-san. Curse evening duties.." The man, 'Hito-kun', replied. At the same time, Keiichi had approached the window, looking carefully inside. They seemed to play some kind of game, and paid no attention to him.

"Why didn't you just take a day off or call sick though?" A small man spoke, putting a card to the table.

"Are you stupid!" The fourth and last man remarked, hammering his huge fist into the table. He was the largest of them. "If Hitoshi hadn't attended to his work the exact same evening as the 'precious little princess' goes missing, wouldn't that make him a suspect quite easily?"

"S-s-sorry!"

"Tch.. Brainless, that's what you are, Noboru." The large man put down a card.

"Though, how did you do?" Hitoshi suddenly asked. "Did you get rid of her as planned?"

"Ah, we were abi' too late," Arata began, "so we couldn' go with the firs' plan."

"Oh? So, what _did_ you do?"

Keiichi pricked his senses further, listening intently; if it really was Mion they were talking about, then luck and fate was on his side now.

"We foun' that bitch on 'er way hom'. She'd reached the curv', so we took the chanc' to stop 'er." Arata snickered, taking a sip from a glass. Keiichi felt ready to leave, quickly figuring what curve he was talking about. Yet, he remained there; if these guys had taken her, then it was pointless to investigate the mountainside again.

"We drove into 'er," Arata continued after he placed the glass. "The gal flew ov' the barrier!"

Hitoshi raised a brow. "So, she fell down the slope?"

"Yeah," the large man took over. "Although, that wasn't really any punishment from _us_, now, was it? Besides, she deserved more than that. We climbed down to finish off her and that damned oni tattoo. With a knife, of course."

"Oh, how great! So not only the tattoo's been broken, she'll die as well?" Hitoshi smiled.

"Exactly - and we cannot be blamed, since it'd almost look like an accident after all. Time was on our side, despite we were being late!"

"Tho', no chanc' of ransom and money.." Arata sighed.

"Hell, it's worth it," the large man said, "to see her face, to hurt her and without being made responsible for her death. Now we'll just have to see if her twin'll be made the heiress or not - if she does, we'll just have to let her join her sister."

The small man, Noboru broke in. "Though, ever seen that Mion without a shirt? Heck that was awesome!"

They all laughed. Keiichi froze for a moment, shock rippling through his heart.

* * *

**[Author's Note] **I'm bad. I know. Sorry for the "long" wait for this chapter, although I've been a bit busy lately, and whenever I was writing, I was writing on another one-shot (that'll be uploaded soon.. prepare for lovey fluff stuff...)


	6. Chapter 5: Consternation

**WARNING:**

This chapter contains an excessive amount of blood, and other crazy stuff. It's enough for me to decide to put an 'M' rating on this fanfic rather than a 'T'. If you don't like blood, then I recommend you stop reading this fanfic (and many of my future stuff). You have been warned.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Consternation**

_I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-_

The words of apology echoed in his mind as he raced away from the window, regret and self-hate filling his heart. Keiichi barely registered the policemen ordering him to stop as he passed them, but no way in hell was he going to slow down; he had to find Mion, and that could only take too long. He knew Mion was finished with her martial arts class at around five or six in the evening; that'd mean she'd been lying there for about seven hours now. It would be a miracle if she was alive.

He almost didn't feel the tears that tickled his cheeks, tears of worry and regret. His mind was spinning, trying to remain logical despite the situation. Of course, had he stayed by the window for longer, he could get to know whether they'd taken her with them or not, but if they had left Mion in whatever state she was in...

Keiichi hated to think about it, but he knew that sooner or later, he'd see the truth for himself. The best choice now was to check the forest at the bottom of the mountainside. Even if she wasn't there, it was still the best choice he had; she had a higher chance of survival if those bastards had taken her inside somewhere, rather than leaving her in this ridiculous weather.

_I'm coming, Mion... I'm coming.. Please, stay strong!_ He promised silently as he biked. His legs hurt from doing the circle motion for so long and so hard. He almost forgot to stop when he reached the curve, sliding when he tried. The boy jumped off, quickly ripping off the light on his bike. Keiichi hesitated by the barrier, looking over it and trying to calm down. He was panting rapidly, and his limbs were trembling with exhaustion.

"I'm... coming," he muttered between his breaths, "so please.. be alive..."

**'''''**

It was dark.. Very, very dark.. It wasn't even just the usual tint of night; it was black. Pure black. Black without a shade, black without a highlight. In the middle of the dark void, a circle was lit up. There was no floor to stand on, but despite that, a young girl stood in the middle of the lit area. She looked down to her feet, wondering why everything was so empty. Looking at herself, she realized she herself wasn't even 'in color'. Her naked body was gray, and despite that, she hadn't a single shade or highlight on her. She was like a gray shadow.

If Shion was to describe this in one word, the word would be 'empty'. This place was devoid of everything, without a single trace of anything else. It was the complete emptiness.

'Where am I?' was the question she tried to ask, only to realize she couldn't speak. For whatever reason, she couldn't produce any sound. Her lips were moving without fault, but everything was silent. Sighing - soundlessly - the girl decided to walk through the darkness. The white circle followed her, keeping her in it's middle. Her mind and memories were blank, and her only thoughts where the questions that occurred in her mind right now. She didn't pay attention to her own nudity, didn't pay attention to the fact that she was as empty and lifeless as the area she was in. Shion only wanted an answer to why she was here, an answer she was never given.

Her feet started to feel warm and sticky. The only feeling Shion had ever felt in this area was followed by low sounds, as if she was walking in shallow water.

_Splat - drip - splat - drip_

The warm feeling reached her ankles, and she slowly felt it kissing her knees. Though, it remained no difficulty to walk through it, and the girl, rather than questioning it, felt comfort in the warmth the liquid gave her. Then the stench of death reached her nostrils, making her halt. Had everything been normal, then her heart was racing. Shion finally looked down, her instinctive reaction blocked. No matter how hard she would've screamed, she couldn't. No matter how terrified she would've been, she expressed nothing. The lit up circle around her was no longer white; it was filled with only one color, the color 'red'; the red, warm, sticky liquid had reached just above her knees. She turned 180 degrees, intending to run, but stuck with only walking. Shion felt herself only getting soaked deeper and deeper into the ocean-like blood, but still, all her extreme emotions remained lacking. While she wanted to get away, she felt no panic, no terror, no disgust.

Realizing that she sank deeper with every step, she stopped. The blood had almost reached her breasts, softly engulfing everything beneath. She wondered whose blood it was, and a mental image of her sister popped up in her mind. Despite the horror she personally thought she should be feeling, Shion was still emotionless. She wanted to hate all of this, but she could no more than dislike it. She was devoid of any deeper feelings than the superficial.

The girl decided to continue. She held her breath before she let her head get swallowed, closing her eyes. Soon, she was completely enveloped in the sticky liquid, and Shion decided to stand still. She slowly opened her eyes again, the only color in front of her being red. It seemed unrealistic; blood was so thick it shouldn't let any light through it as though it was water - wasn't this supposed to be black, or at least a very dark red?

Then she opened her mouth, not able to hold her breath any longer. Her mouth was immediately filled with the strong taste of blood, and she was quickly getting strangled by it, drowning in the liquid. She tried to swim upward, but all rapid actions were still impossible for her.

_Am I dying?_

The sudden emptiness that returned seemed to confirm her thought. Everything faded to black again, and not even the lit up circle seemed to company her now. She waited in, what seemed to her, several minutes. Then Shion, despite the empty feeling, opened her eyes. Or, she was certain she did. Though, the vision was no different. The girl sat up, "looking" around for anything. When this failed, she got up on her feet and walked. After many steps, she realized she could feel her feet when they touched the ground and she could faintly hear her own steps. She was able to feel surprise, and testing out her capability, she tried to run - with success. The girl stared dumbfounded in the darkness, not sure if it was good or bad that she was able to do all this.

Shion touched her arm; she wasn't plastered with blood anymore. Just exactly what was going on? What the hell was this? It didn't make the slightest sense. Confused, the girl went on, noticing a slight highlight in the distance. She decided to walk toward it, feeling comfort in the guidance the light gave her.

The girl came closer, realizing that this 'circle of light' was _huge_, compared to the one that had engulfed herself; she'd say this one was about ten meters - about eleven yards - in diameter. Shion narrowed her eyes as she saw something unrecognizable in the middle, trying to figure out what it was. Getting closer, she realized it was the shape of a human, lying down with it's naked back toward her. The person's shape was the same as Shion's, and hadn't it been for the dark markings on its back, she'd say the person was herself. Joy lifted her spirits as she recognized her sister.

"Onee!" She happily called, too enlightened to take further notice of the fact that she could speak. Shion quickly got to the other side of her sister, wanting to face Mion. "Oh, Onee, I've been so worri-"

Shion stopped, staring in frozen horror at what laid in front of her; it was indeed Mion, but in a barely recognizable state. A long cut from throat to abdomen was splitting Mion's stomach in two, all of her internal organs spread out in front of her. Blood was spattered all across the once-white 'floor', the pool still expanding in size. Her eyes were still open, and it was as if she was looking directly at Shion.

"M..M-Mi...on..?" Her voice, little and weak, was the only thing that escaped Shion's lips. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't; there wasn't any power left in her.

"This is all your fault."

Shion jumped, speechlessly staring at the face of her deceased sister - did she just... talk? No. It was her imagination. It had to be. Yet, those eyes of Mion pierced right through Shion, the serpent like gaze filled with venom and hatred.

Then Mion's mouth opened again, clearly speaking. "You knew something was wrong. Yet, you did nothing. You are the one responsible. You should die. Come closer, so I can kill you."

"H-h-how c-can.. you... you're..."

"Demons never die, Shion. I was secured my life when the tattoo was imprinted in my back. But I still feel pain, and for that, you, Shion, should die. You're the one who should've died."

Shion shook her head, taking a step back. "I.. I ne-never.. w-wanted.. something like this.. to ha-happen..."

"But it did.. because of you. You're guilty. You did nothing; that was your crime. Your ignorance."

"N-no..."

"DIE!" Mion yelled, her voice demonic, as if echoing at the same time. The blood in front of her suddenly took shape, turning into a standing demon. Shion turned around, running as fast as she could into the darkness.

"You can't always hide in the dark, Shion. You can't escape everything just like that." Mion's demonic voice sneered. Then the warm feeling of blood washed over Shion.

'

Shion opened her eyes with a yelp, sitting up quickly. She panted, feeling covered in liquid. Looking around the room in terror, she was certain she saw blood everywhere, although it disappeared quickly. A drop tickled down her arm, and paranoid, she looked at it, only to realize she was sweating. Her nightmare was spinning in her head, making her stomach churn. Mental images of her sister made her feel even sicker. Covering her mouth, she quickly got up, running to the nearest bathroom. She barely managed to lean her head over the toilet before she threw up, twice. Leaning back again, she hid her eyes in her hands, breaking out in a cry. Her headache was throbbing painfully, leaving little space for her to think.

A hand was gently placed on her shoulder. Shion turned her head slowly, meeting the soft gaze of her mother. Akane tilted her head, carefully embracing her daughter tightly.

"We'll find her, don't worry. It's not the first time she's missing after all. She's probably just being a bit of a rebel again, enjoying herself somewhere like last time." There was slight worry in Akane's voice, but she seemed quite confident in her words.

Shion cried against her shoulder. _You didn't see her earlier... She was _scared_, mom... _

**'''''**

After having slid twice, Keiichi had finally reached the bottom. The trees were covering the moon and stars, leaving Keiichi with barely any light, except the little lamp he'd taken with him from the bike. There were weak trails of blood on the rock he had been climbing, and even though it wasn't very much, it was still enough for the boy to confirm that something bad had happened, especially because the rain hadn't washed it all away.

Keiichi used the light as a flashlight, his heart beating rapidly. He continued forward carefully, although he didn't need to go far. Within short time, he found what he was looking for; and the sight that met him was not pleasant.

* * *

**A/N:**

I'm mean, ain't I? Chapter 5, and I still won't tell ya 'bout Mion's condition. Teehee. I'm cruel, I know. Though, next chapter will reveal it, no worries. I've figured there'll be 8 chapters total of this fanfic.

On a side-note, I personally think the last part with Keiichi sucked. I don't think I had any kind of inspiration for that part…

Oh, btw., am I the only one who's annoyed at how this website removes extra spaces, additional question- and exclamation marks etc.?

**EDIT (3rd March '11):** I'm currently having a break from this fanfic. Terrible timing, I know. Sorry.


	7. Chapter 6: Compassion

**Attention:**

This chapter contains one or more words in another language than English. Translations can be found at the bottom.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Compassion**

_There is nothing heavier than compassion. Not even one's own pain weighs so heavy as the pain one feels for someone, for someone, pain intensified by the imagination and prolonged by a hundred echoes._

_- Milan Kundera_

Close to a tree, beneath a much familiar bike, lay the girl he'd been looking for, tangled up in what appeared to be a fishing net. Keiichi could only barely make out the shape of Mion, his light only of little help; though, he saw droplets of blood, spattered in the grass around her. His heart skipped a beat, and he approached her hastily. He got the bike off her, careful to make sure she wasn't stuck in its frames, throwing it away with great strength as soon as it was well above her. Not wanting to waste his time, he squatted down to her, cautiously trying to get her out of the net she'd been covered in. There was blood on his hands when he had untangled her, and he looked at the girl with a horrified gaze; her body was stained with dirt and blood. Mion was looking back at him with weakened eyes, wheezing lowly and hollowly. The girl was lying on her left side, and for whatever reason, her entire upper body was stripped for clothing, leaving her half-naked. There was no doubt that she was in severe pain, but at the same time left with barely any energy.

Swallowing a thick clump, Keiichi sat down on his knees from his squatted position, not paying attention to the liquids that colored his pants. "What the hell have they done to you..." he growled beneath his breath, more scared than angry. Mion's only response was to close her empty eyes, laying her head back on the muddy ground. Her body heaved with difficulty in the rhythm of her unsteady wheezing.

Speechlessly, the boy began inspecting her more closely, starting with her head and carefully progressing toward her feet, searching for other than scraping wounds and bruises;

Her forehead was wounded, but it had stained and didn't seem critical. Her throat had deep nail marks, as if someone had been strangling her brutally. The boy couldn't keep back an embarrassed blush when his eyes came to her breasts, although his attention was quickly drawn to a cut across her stomach. He inspected it gently, but it wasn't as deep nor clean as he first thought; he concluded it was a longer scrape from the fall. Her hip was heavily swollen and had a black-blue color, as if bruised. Her pants and legs were torn and destroyed from only the fall, and apparently hadn't tasted whatever tool she had been attacked with. He went back to her arms, first now noticing a rope that bound her wrists together. He began to unwrap them, but halted immediately when she groaned hoarsely. The boy turned his head to her briefly, understanding that either her hands or wrists were in pain. He was extremely cautious and wary when he proceeded, managing to effectively get the rope off without her complaining much.

Mentally analyzing her as to conclude the situation, the boy found himself confused with the amount of blood on her versus her injuries. There seemed to be too much.

_"We climbed down to finish off her and that damned oni tattoo. With a knife, of course."_

The tattoo! Keiichi tried to remain calm when he bowed over the girl, lighting up her back with the small light. New horror and rage ran in the boy's veins; her back was drenched with blood, oozing from several cuts and stabs all over it. Various spots on her back were skinless, as if it had been peeled off. The boy knew he had to act quickly, but he wasn't skilled in treatment. He had only his knowledge from movies and books.

Keiichi took a deep breath and put the light in his mouth; he had to stop the bleeding - now.

**'''**

Pain.. a sickening, boundless hurting... She felt nothing else. It was as if there wasn't even 'space' for a bit of relief when Keiichi had found her; the agony was erasing any other feeling she was supposed to have. She wished she was numb instead - entirely numb. Anything was better than this endless suffering. Had she been able to speak without making her throat ache furiously, she'd begged the boy to finish her off. Not because she wanted to die, but because being alive and feeling this pain was too much for her to bear.

Mion turned her head, but her hazy sight was unable to focus properly on anything; Keiichi was merely a colored blur to her, a bit of light through the dark forest. Trying hard and relying on her hearing, she figured he was taking off his soaked, white shirt, tearing off a long shred. She put her head back to the ground weakly, while the boy began wrapping a makeshift bandage around her. Pain stirred in her chest when he lifted her slightly to get the shred under her, attempting to cover her wounded back. She moaned almost silently, making her throat threaten with hurting till she was quiet again. All the pain stressed the girl; had she been able to, had she freaked out by now, screamed, hit the objects around her.. yet, she didn't even have enough energy to cry. Not even silent tears.

Her best friend began talking quietly and softly to her, but she never quite registered his words; only his soothing voice reached her, calming and comforting. She closed her eyes, feeling as if fear and rage came off the boy in waves while he continued to bandage her most severe injuries.

_Stop wasting your time on me, Kei-chan... I won't survive.. Please put my pain to an end and report to my family. _She wanted nothing else.

Mion gathered all her remaining, broken strength and courage, pulling herself together with what felt like her very last energy. "_K..ko..ko-ro..sh..shite..._" Her throat burned like crazy, and the metallic taste of blood danced numbly on her tongue, but if Keiichi just listened, obediently, it didn't matter. It wouldn't ever matter.

The boy halted his actions, and Mion turned her head in a new attempt to look at him. Her sight was too blurry for her to see his reaction, but after a few, stunned seconds, his voice growled angrily, before he continued fixing the makeshift bandage around her. The girl laid down her head once again, drained for energy and hope. Blood tickled down from her open mouth, and she had to fight back an instinctive urge to cough; she didn't want to experience what pain _coughing _could do to her throat, when mere _moaning _was hurting that much.

Then a sudden jolting agony rose in her hip, forcing the girl to let out a dry scream. It hurt - everything hurt, but her hip responded Keiichi's touch with a severe, additional pain, and for a brief moment, the girl thought she would die immediately. And obviously, her throat didn't forgive her hoarse wail; it was as if she was being strangled from within. The boy apologized desperately, petting her hair gently, his voice tearful with remorse.

Though, Mion had only one question in mind; how much longer would she suffer?

* * *

**[Translations]**

Koroshite= _Kill me_

* * *

**[A/N]**

Sorry for the extremely long wait. I completely lost interest in this fanfic for quite a while, and that's despite this isn't that uninteresting (is it?). Anyway, this chapter was supposed to be longer, but I've decided to split it into two, (which means the story will be 9 chapters long rather than 8.)

This was not only for the uploading purpose, but also because I have a very hard time of "gently fading" into the next thing that happens; it's easier with a new chapter/section/thing…

Anyway, what do ya guys think? Please leave a review – reviews makes me want to continue.


	8. Chapter 7: Protection

**Chapter 7: Protection**

The boy had silently cursed when his light went out, but was too distracted to really notice; Mion's reaction had scared the hell out of him, her heartbreakening cry still echoing in his mind. Even though he was certain she couldn't make out what he told her, he had quietly promised her to not touch her hip again; there was no reason to bring her in more pain. Although, one thing was clear to him now; it wasn't just a bruise. It was much, much worse. The boy gave up on checking on her legs; it was too dark. With the light gone, he was afraid he'd do more harm than good if he tried anything.

Keiichi sighed. He didn't like this one bit, but he was still relieved he had found her - alive. Though, she needed help. His makeshift bandages only helped stopping the bleeding, the wounds he could see; he had no idea how many inner injuries she had, but assuming quite a few broken bones wasn't a disqualified guess.

"Hell, you're strong, Mion.." He muttered suddenly, wishing he could still see her, rather than having to confirm she was alive through her wheezing. She was indeed strong; despite her hurting, she was still with him, awake; despite her injuries, she was still breathing, living. She had wanted him to kill her, but he had still hope; hope that she could survive, hope that life could turn normal for her again, even if she'd forever be scarred.

Then he gritted his teeth in rage; suddenly furious, he felt ready to kill - kill those bastards who'd done this to her. He had to fight to avoid screaming out his anger. He felt an urge to feel her attackers' broken limbs in his hands rose, an instinct to brutally maul them, shred them, torment them, and then hope they didn't die so he could pin them to a tree till they suffered to death.  
However, though he wanted to murder them, he couldn't leave Mion. With the thinking of his best friend, his ferocity changed to frustration; he desperately wanted to help her, take away her pain, heal her. He longed to be able to pick up her hurting in his hands and then throw it onto her assaulters. Why was reality so cruel to deny him that?

The teenage boy turned his heavy head toward the sky, rain pattering invisibly on his weary face. He couldn't see a thing; only feel the liquid still dripping down, even though he was beneath a tree. Keiichi turned his head back to Mion; she was close enough for him to sense her figure and shape, but it was hopeless to try to get her anywhere now. He had no choice; he had to stay here till the sun decided to rise once more.

"You're cold..." Keiichi muttered as he touched her shoulder carefully. He smiled slightly; Mion would usually tell him how silly he sounded with stating the obvious. Though, his smile dropped quickly again; she _was _cold.

He sighed yet again. Then he pulled off his red shirt, still not drenched, but had his body's warmth. The boy leaned closer to Mion, carefully trying to give her his shirt on, pulling it over her head. "Mion, if you can hear me, and you're able to, then help me with this." He spoke softly to her, though, as expected, she didn't react the slightest. Keiichi had to cautiously get her arms in the shirt, wary about her wrists and hands. It wasn't easy for him, and the girl did moan quietly a few times, but he finally succeeded, despite the darkness. Maybe it didn't warm her that much, but at least it'd cover her; he couldn't offer her to take her anywhere half-naked like that. She was in enough distress; the girl didn't need to lose her pride further.

_Though, Mion, I must say, I'm pretty sure it looks better on you than on me. Pity I can't see you._

He looked up again, hoping he'd see a trace of the rising sun.. but still, it was pitch-black. Keiichi wished he had a watch on him, or at least a sense of what time it was, when the sun would light up the sky. The boy decided that at very least, he could try to warm her, rather than sit waiting like this. He got up, and carefully stepped over to her other side, lying down behind her.

_Hope you don't mind.. _

Liquified dirt and blood licked his skin as he curled against her warily, her wounded back, clothed in his shirt, touching his bare, warm stomach. He felt awkward, putting his arm over her. The boy laid his head on hers, listening for any complaints; though, there was none, and he assumed that at least her head wasn't hurting much.

He closed his eyes, listening to her breathing. Keiichi would've fallen asleep, hadn't he been afraid he'd wake up too late in case Mion got worse.. or even died.

**'''''**

Violet eyes opened wearily, a beginning hint of sunshine coming into their sight. The rain had slowly stopped before the sun rose, leaving the morning itself fresh and clean. Keiichi sat up and looked down, immediately wishing it was dark again; the blood on himself, the ground and especially on Mion, was so much clearer to him now. What of the liquid had yet to stain was sticky, and an urge to throw up in disgust rose in his instincts; though, he forced it back.

He had never quite fallen asleep, staying conscious thanks to his boundless worry. Though, he _had _been tired, and his body had rested as much as it could in the rather cold September night. He did freeze, but he didn't allow himself to complain; not when Mion obviously had been so much colder, her bloodloss adding to the loss of warmth her body could produce.

Protectively, Keiichi turned his attention to her face; her open mouth had stains of blood running from it, and her eyes were closed, but she was still wheezing. She was still alive, but he had to get her elsewhere; preferably the clinic, but anywhere was better than here. Though, he was struck with confusion; she seemed to be asleep, even despite her restless body and unsteady breathing, and _if_ she was sleeping, he should let her regain all possible strength, shouldn't he? Or would it just waste time to wait for her to wake up on her own?

The teenage boy decided to watch her and continue figuring what to do with her. He had to carry her, but every single way to carry a person seemed to him that it would cause her a hell of a lot of pain - and if any of her ribs were broken too, it'd only be more difficult. Desperately, he wished one of the others were with him; one to get help, and one to stay with Mion. Though, he was alone in this; he was forced to help her on his own. Of course, it would seem easiest to climb back up the cliff and stop the first car that passed by, but he didn't dare leaving Mion, not even for half a minute. Perhaps it was paranoid of him, but he was scared her heart would fail her - and even if her condition wouldn't change at all, it would still mean he'd leave her. Obviously, Mion would mentally freak out if he just left her like that.

No; he had to carry her. There was no other way. Carry her through the forest till he got to Hinamizawa. But exactly how he should carry her, he wasn't sure. He'd either carry her in his arms, or on his back. Both had its benefits and disadvantages, but both would undoubtedly cause her pain;

If he carried her in his arms, he'd be curving her body. Her back had to remain as straight as possible, to not open her wounds further. Also, _if_ she had broken ribs, this would be even worse. On the other hand, he might be able to avoid touching her hip, and she'd probably feel more comforted to be 'hidden' in his arms. Though, he'd drain his own energy rather quickly, and it'd take longer to get anywhere.

If he was to carry her on his back, it'd require he would be able to make her grab her own arm around his neck. This would probably be impossible if her arms, wrists or hands had any broken bones, which he suspected was positive. Then again, her upper body would stay the least hurt possible. And yet, she'd be in a lot of pain when it came to her hip, and maybe also her legs, as he'd have to carry her legs on each side of him. But, carrying her on his back would mean he'd be able to go a lot faster, and he'd constantly be hearing her breathing, being able to confirm her condition with every step he took.

He sighed; he had had much time to consider how to bring her home, but he couldn't waste much more time now. It'd likely take an hour to get to Hinamizawa from here, when taking a route through the forest.

_Hanyū.. if you, in any way, is able to.. then grant me Oyashiro-sama's strength. Help me. Help us._ Keiichi begged, then shook his head; he was being ridiculous. Hanyū wasn't be able to hear his thoughts; he had only himself to take care of Mion.

"Mion?" He called softly, feeling slightly glad when she opened her eyes, looking at him without moving her head; she seemed slightly clearer than earlier, but it might've just been because of the sunlight now. "Can you hear me?"

The girl didn't respond, but rather stared at him.

"Mion, listen," Keiichi raised his voice, speaking as clearly as he possibly could. "Can you hear me at all?"

A few seconds passed by without any reaction from the pained teenager, but then she narrowed her eyes and nodded weakly. She heard him, but just barely, nothing more.

Keiichi decided he'd use short sentences, putting emphasis on the most important words. "I'm really sorry, but this will _hurt_." He took a stick and held it vertically by her mouth, (that, at this time, would be horizontally for Mion in her lying position). "_Bite _it. It'll help." Though, he wasn't too certain it really would be of any help; it was something he once had seen in a movie, but apparently, clenching one's teeth on something hard should ease the pain in one way or another.

It took the girl a bit of time before she registered what he'd told her, but she weakly grab the stick with her teeth, her faded eyes expectantly looking at the boy.

He felt a small happiness in his heart; she was co-operative. He knew the girl was in a giant amount of pain, weakened and on the edge, but she was trying. Her will was what had given her the temporary strength; though, this also meant that she was exceeding what power she really had, and she'd be more than drained for life at some point.

He had to get her home before that happened…

* * *

**[CHERRYLIN'S (long) COMMENTS]**

The chapter was supposed to be longer, and contain the next "part" (or, 'scene' as I'd call it) but I liked ending this chapter here.. HEHEHEHE D I'm mean :)

It was actually also supposed to contain the whole 'how Keiichi got her up', but I felt it would be too descriptive of endless pain and blabla.. I'll be mentioning the stuff in next chapter instead, rather than some long, detailed... thing. Since we've already had a Mion-in-pain-part… it'd be repetitive to have this once more.

Another thing; maybe it'd seem as if I've added a bit too much strength to Mion.. Though, since I partially study these things when I get the chance (that'd say, psychology, placébo etc.), I can also inform you that one's condition changes drastically, depending on whether you feel like giving up, or actually have some kind of hope. It can even affect your health on a normal day. (Personal experience; I can get an actual fever if I'm depressed just one day.. despite I can be out in the rain all day if I'm happy without catching anything) By this, you might've figured that Mion's become more hopeful by now.

But, I promise you, as stated.. she'll be... _very_ tired once her willpower fades...

A third thing, this story will have 11 chapters. Yes.. it's gone from a one-shot to 8 chapters to 11.. I'm awesome.. So far, without counting these author's notes, warnings, and other, you've read 9129 words in this fanfic.. unless you've read something more than once, in which case, you've read more.

Well.. This chapter was bound to have one more 'scene' as said, but this scene will be moved on to the next chapter, where some stuff will happen.. but this pushed those scenes in that chapter, so therefore, a chapter more. And I wanted to include a detailed 'scene' of what happened to Mion, and this will be chapter 10.

Try to solve this like a math problem; it's probably not really possible.

Wow.. This 'author's note' was as long as my usual German essays. :D (~353 words).


	9. Chapter 8: Illusion

**Attention:**

This chapter contains one or more words in another language than English. Translations can be found at the bottom.

* * *

_To Graytail;  
Thank you_

* * *

**Chapter 8: Illusion**

The recent hurting was already vague, though, not forgotten; during the whole process, she'd felt pain, from the very moment he'd gotten her up till she was on his back, she'd felt hell break loose on her body. She had bit the stick he'd handed her, and had managed to avoid screaming, avoided more pain in her throat.. until, - her arms around his neck and her head on his shoulder - the boy, despite carefully, had lifted her legs from the ground, bending her limbs by her hips; the pain had jolted through her body, and she'd dropped the stick, unable to keep back a scream;

_"S-Stay strong, Mion; you're doing wonderfully. Please, don't give up now," Keiichi's voice was regretful and shocked. With her headache pounding, her throat aching, blood rolling from her mouth, and a hip that, didn't she know better, was being cut over with a scissor, the girl had weakly put her head back on his shoulder, having to accept the hurting with a bold determination, a decision to stay alive._

_A tear rolled down her cheek, but it wasn't even her own..._

She felt a weak light touch her closed eyes, and opened them to realize, - despite a blurry sight - that the forest was coming to an end. With just three fingers from her right hand, the two others being useless, she was still grabbing onto the opposing arm around Keiichi, but her whole body was shaking. The taste of blood was partying on her tongue, sweatdrops, turning crimson upon meeting her wounds, were rolling down, and her even shallower breathing was coming in exhausted pants. Mion moaned uncomfortably, not very bothered by her throat as her hip was stinging with pain, the constant hurting almost numb now that there hadn't been a single pause.

"Easy, Mion," Keiichi's soft, worried voice began once more; he'd been talking to her all the time, trying to comfort her. "I know it's impossible for you to relax, but please.. do your best to not use any powers, 'kay? We're almost out of this forest. Please.. endure this..."

_Believe me, I'm trying,_ she replied mentally, despite barely able to hear him. _I'm so.. tired though..._

She coughed, blood spattering from her mouth, coloring the boy's bare chest. The boy's voice was desperate, but not understandable for her, fading away.

_Are we there yet? I really want a nap.._

Her sight gradually blurred, flickering. Black spots danced everywhere, jumping around like fleas.

_Where are we heading, again?_

Memory faded to nothing, sense became illogical.

_Why am I here?_

Something rung screechingly in her ears. She coughed again, the taste of blood filling her mouth.

Somewhere, distantly, a desperate voice cried out, the voice of the boy she loved. Though, it was so far away, and she was too tired to concentrate. Darkness was creating a frame to her blurred sight, her attempt to blink it away ineffective; rather, the black nothingness was becoming all that she saw.

"Got ya!" A voice.. so familiar... and yet, she could not put a name on it. The so well-known face that looked at her was smiling, his happy, sly grin being that of a trickster.

"About time," a girl implied, a girl who she had known since birth, but yet, another nameless face. "Revenge is sweet, is it not?" She turned her head to the other, who nodded a silent agreement.

More faces appeared around the table, all of them looking at her, smiling happily at her. She knew them; she knew them very well, she knew she loved them, and that they loved her too, but why couldn't she put a name on them? Why couldn't she remember?

The faces then faded away slowly, quietly, the only, silent sound being that of her own panicking heart. They couldn't leave her now; she didn't want to be alone. She tried to call them back, wanted their comfort, wanted them with her, but her voice was as silent as a falling feather. There was so much that was left unanswered.

_Help! Help me, what's happening? D-don't leave me! Come back! _Her words were never spoken.

But yet, through the darkness, the boy's voice echoed. "Looks like you lost the game, huh? But there's nothing you can do about it; the Goddess of Victory has been defeated at last!"

_..so that's why... _

She had lost. Her punishment was to begin, but then a single tear rolled down her face; she didn't want to lose. She didn't want to be left in the dark, alone, forever. She couldn't lose! Why was she losing?

A distant hurting began to throb. Was this her punishment? Was this her penalty for losing the game? It hurt. It wasn't fair!

_Stop... I don't want to play anymore..._

Giving up was the last option. Giving up and leaving the game board. That was the only way she could escape the punishment game. She still wanted to play, but the penalty was too harsh. The tear was accompanied by many, tickling her cheek. She wanted to wipe them away; she couldn't cry. Giving up was one thing, but crying about it was immature. She couldn't allow herself that. But her arms didn't move; no matter how hard she tried, they didn't respond. They were heavy... so.. heavy...

"Don't cry; I'm here." A voice... nothing more than a voice.. no name, no face... nothing more than a comforting presence, the warmth promising her that her pain would be over soon. She would escape. She would leave the game board, and nobody would blame her. It was okay; they understood. It was nothing more than a game, after all.

_Thank you.. everyone... thank you.. for everything... I'll never.. forget you.. again... So please... never forget me either... _

A smile curved her lips, before she was finally engulfed in a deceptioning void.

The last thing she heard, was a distant voice crying out her name.

_Sayonara..._

* * *

**[Translations]**

Sayonara_ = Goodbye/So long (implied that you won't meet again in a long time.)_

* * *

**[A/N]  
**..I actually could ramble for hours on how this chapter was supposed to be longer, contain something else, have the second half to be about Shion blablabla.. but I'm not going to do that.  
I'm just updating the chapter number from 11 to 12. Hah.

My plans? Next 2 chapters are planned to be finished and uploaded within next week. That's the _plans_ anyway.

Please leave a review; that's what makes me actually want to continue, alright? :3


	10. Chapter 9: Hallucination

**Attention:**

This chapter contains one or more words in another language than English. Translations can be found at the bottom.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Hallucination**

Standing in nothing but a white undershirt and navy blue shorts, her hair loose and in a mess, the girl tried to take another sip from her glass, acting without reason, without thinking, unaware of herself; but when no liquid touched her tongue, her heavy eyes fell upon the empty glass, and she subconsciously filled it again in the sink beside her. She cast a drowsy look at the clock; 4.53 in the morning.. almost 5. It was still rather dark outside, but the sun was casting weak highlights on the edges of every house, tree and mountainside. After her mother had comforted her, she'd gone to bed again, but unable to sleep, ending up wandering the house for hours until she stopped in the kitchen, exhausted and thirsty.

Shion was just about to take a sip of water, when suddenly the clear liquid turned red in front of her eyes. Hysterically, she threw the glass away, shards shattering and blood spattering across the floor. She stared at it, wide-eyed, shaking. Panicking, the girl turned on the sink, instantly fearing it'd pour with crimson; though, it was clear like water should be, and once she cast a glance at the floor again, she realized there was no blood; it was only her sick imagination, a twisted hallucination. The paranoid teenager sighed with relief, turning off the water.

_I should clean it up..._

She blinked, looking hopelessly at the floor.

_...Yeah.. _Should _clean it up.._

The girl felt far too tired and unmotivated to do that now. Still though, it _was _glass. Someone could get hurt, and she'd rightfully be blamed for it. She didn't need to be berated by her family - especially not her grandmother - but she was much too exhausted. Shion slowly headed out of the kitchen, avoiding the shards; she could always pretend to have been asleep, or at least deal with it later, once the problem arose.

_"You can't always hide in the dark, Shion. You can't escape everything just like that."_ Mion's demonic voice sneered in her mind, halting Shion mid-step. Her heart beat rapidly, the girl expecting to feel the warm, sticky blood wash over her once more. "_Gomenasai, gomenasai, gomenasai_-!" she cried through gritted teeth.

Yet, nothing happened.

Shion turned her head slowly, half-expecting to see Mion's dead body again, and was even relieved to see only the shards and water on the floor. Then a strange and violent knocking reached her ears, as though somebody was trying to kick the door down. Her heart skipped a beat as she turned her head once more, certain the blood-demon from her nightmare would attack her; but the door to the kitchen was open.

The knocking, or kicking, continued, determined, stubbornly.

_Forget it, demon.. you can't consume me again!_

She let the knocking continue, looking carelessly at the shards again, trying to convince herself to clean it up. Then suddenly, the door bell chimed. Her eyes turning curious, she looked out the hallway, tilting her head.

_The front door?_

Then a sudden thought jolted through all her body and she motionlessly froze.

_Mion!_

**'''''**

"Call an ambulance!"

Shion had yet to open the door before Keiichi's voice yelled at her. What met her eyes paralyzed her;

Keiichi, his upper body bare, stood panting with her limb sister in his arms, Mion wearing his red shirt. The boy's eyes were filled with urgency and ferocity. They were both drenched in rain, dirt all over their bodies, but worst all, they were covered in blood, and even more of it was dripping onto the ground; a whole trail had been left from where they came.

Shion wanted to scream, but was frozen in her position, motionlessly staring at what was in front of her, her beloved sister. A voice was distantly yelling at her. For a second, she thought the blood would attack her, but the thought was quickly pushed away by her fear of what had happened.

"_SHION_! FOR _FUCK'S _SAKE, _LISTEN TO ME_!"

The paralyzed teenager broke out of her trance, turning her eyes to Keiichi when he yelled at her, outraged. Her voice was nothing more than a mere stammering. "Y-y-ye-"

"Call the ambulance, NOW! Tell Irie-sensei we'll meet him on the way!"

Even before the boy had finished his sentence, Shion had already turned, heading straight to the phone in the hallway while her mind tried to gather itself.

"And leave a note to your parents! You're coming too!" The boy's voice echoed when Shion took the phone, starting to dial the number to the clinic.

_"Hinamizawa Clinic." _A male voice replied, one of the workers at the clinic.

Shion was stunned, completely blank and uncertain what to say. Awkward silence was waving in the air for several seconds.

_"Hello? Who is this?"_

Swallowing and gritting her teeth, she gathered her courage, her voice weak and stumbling. "S-Shion.. Sonozaki... Shion."

_"Oh, hello, Sonozaki-chama. How can we h-"_

"S-send an ambulance!" The girl finally spat out, almost screaming. "Now!"

_"Hold on! What's happening?"_

"My sister's dying! Our friend's carrying her toward the clinic; you gotta meet him on the way! Tell Irie-sensei to pick us up!" She ended the phone call abruptly; of course, it wasn't certain it would be Irie who'd come, but she hoped; he'd know what to do, she was certain.

Her chest and sides rising and falling with her panicked breathing, Shion took a piece of paper by the phone and a pen, writing faster than she could remember ever having done before;

_'At the clinic. Meet us. Sorry about the kitchen.'_

Clearly visibly, it was placed on top of the phone, and Shion turned around, dashing back and out the front door. She closed it hastily, running with bare feet toward the dots of blood, the trail the others were leaving behind. Her mind was spinning, but her headache didn't hinder her from catching up with Keiichi.

"K-K-Kei-chan," she panted, her voice high and quiet all the same with fear. She stared in disbelief at her sister; her bloodstained figure showed no sign of life, yet her mud-plastered face revealed a peaceful smile. Tears started to roll down Shion's eyes; Mion couldn't be dead; she just couldn't! It wasn't fair! "H-h-how.. i-is she..?"

"Getting worse by the second," the boy's voice steadily replied, though, the edge of misery was very clear.

"So she's.. a-alive?"

Keiichi didn't reply, but kept on walking, his pace fast, despite the weight he was carrying in his bloodstained arms.

Shion swallowed, feeling her stomach churn. Her nightmare flickered in her mind briefly, but she shut it away. "Kei-chan... the blood... i-i-is.. is it.."

"It's all hers.."

"My God, w-what happened..?" Once again stunned for a moment, the girl was only able to ask that one question.

Though, Keiichi never answered her. Noisy sirens screeched in Shion's ears, before an ambulance came into view, approaching them fast. The Higurashi let out their shrieking cries in response.

* * *

**[Translations]**

Gomenasai= _I'm sorry_

* * *

**[A/N]**

Thaaat… took a while. I'll just say I'll never again say "I'll work on next chapters this week" or anything like that, because I seriously can't get myself to work just like that… Anyway, my last school day (save for some random exam days) will be tomorrow, so I'll soon have my vacation… so HOPEFULLY I will be able to update Apprehension… after all, I just need to fight myself through next chapter; the rest are pretty much written already.

Anywaaaay, leave a review and I will get happiii..~


	11. Chapter 10: Revelation

**Chapter 10: Revelation**

A steady beeping, though, the rhythm slightly too slow, was everything that told whether or not the girl's heart was still beating. The noise was screeching in the two other teenager's ears, both of them exhausted and tired, yet refusing to sleep, refusing to leave their friend, despite the doctor's offer.

The girl of them, twin of the dying teenager, had silent tears running down her cheeks while she affectionately dabbed off the blood on her sister's face with a sponge. Beside her, the boy was holding the left hand of the unconscious tomboy, sitting in a set of patient's clothing. He had been offered those clothes, along with a shower - of which he had quickly taken - as he had been soaked in mud, rain and the girl's blood.

The doctor was standing on the opposite side of the bed; there was nothing more to do. The girl had been given help with equipments; an intravenous line, a catheter, a breathing mask, a heart rate monitor, along with been given various kinds of medicine, including painkillers and disinfectant, and having an x-ray taken of her body, revealing various broken bones; her left wrist, two ribs and a fractured hip - of which she later would need a surgery for. Aside from random bruises and smaller cuts and scrapes, her back was one hell of a ravage and her stomach had a long cut. It was almost certain that two of her right fingers were sprained, along with her left ankle.

Keiichi desperately wanted to cry, cry for her suffering. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that she had to endure all that pain. He had finally understood why accidentally touching her hip had been so painful for her, understood why she had been unable to move from the ground on her own, but he hated it.

"I'm scared..." Shion whimpered beside him, not turning her head away from Mion. Her body was trembling slightly with the fear she had just confessed. The girl put away the sponge, sighing deeply, staring intently at her twin.

Irie answered her with sympathy, trying to cheer them both up. "Of course you are, Shion-chan, but she's made it this far. Hope's not lost."

"I don't want to lose her..."

"Shion, take it easy," Realizing the girl was on the edge of breaking, the desperation in her voice clear, Keiichi gently comforted her, put his other hand carefully on her back, petting her.

"_I don't want to lose her!_" The girl repeated in a wail, turning to Keiichi and clinging onto him for comfort, hiding her face against him.

The boy let go of Mion's hand to embrace the sister, feeling her tears against his neck. "Please, Shion, don't cry. Mion wouldn't want that. Life still has so much more to give her; we won't lose her yet."

He would wish he could believe his own words, hoping Shion wouldn't detect the uncertainty in his voice.

**'''''**

His intense staring was directed at Keiichi, his eyes filled with dark suspicion. While the other two, the twins' mother and grandmother, didn't seem to have any specific interest in the young boy, their father had already targeted him, suspecting it was _his _doing that their Mion was in such a horrible state.

With an arm over Shion's shoulders, and the opposite palm on top of Mion's hand, he turned his head back to the face of the injured girl, still refusing to give into the exhaustion that had weighed him down the last six hours, ever since he found her. He could feel Shion was tired, too, but she was equally determined to stay awake.

Finally, the awkward silence was broken by their father, his calm voice quivering with rage. "I would appreciate knowing what's happened."

The young boy hesitated, having to choose his words carefully; it could end pretty bad if he didn't. "I don't know exactly what happened before I found her - and that's an honest answer," he added when the man's eyes grew even more accusing.

"Then what _do _you know?" Their mother broke in, not taking her eyes off her daughter. Worry was rimming her tear-glistening eyes. "And how did you find her?"

Trying to push his headache aside, the boy felt forced to remember just what had happened. "I.. I went to Okinomiya in attempt to find her. I had noticed tire tracks on the road, but... at first, I didn't think much about them.." He noticed all of the Sonozakis, including the fatigued Shion, had turned their eyes to him. The boy felt anxious from their stares, and looked down at Mion again to avoid eye-contact with anyone. "I continued to Okinomiya, and.. after a while, I stopped by an open window because I heard voices. I.. I just had a feeling they were talking about Mion, so I listened to their conversation..."

"And what the hell's the connection with the tire tracks and the window?" Oryō growled, her voice cold as ice. Keiichi could feel her eyes bore into his neck, but he still didn't look at her.

"They.. They spoke about how they had planned to do it... they said something about driving into her, making her fall over the barrier by the mountainside.."

"What.." Akane whispered in disbelief. Keiichi could feel Shion froze with horror.

"Who are '_they_'?" The twins' father snapped, the accusing suspicion not gone from his voice.

"I.. I don't know..." Confessing, Keiichi knew just how silly and unbelievable he sounded... but surely, they couldn't think that _he _would want to hurt his best friend, could they?

"And how can we believe a story like that? How big is the chance that you, of everyone who's been looking for her, managed to stop by that window at just the right time? Huh?"

"It.. it was just.. luck.." The boy felt anxious, looking up at him. His eyes beneath the glasses were burning right through him with rage. Oryō was also staring at him with suspicion, even though she remained quiet. Keiichi turned his gaze briefly to Irie - who was sitting by his table in the room - in hope he could get a bit of help, but the doctor was busy with examining tests.

"Luck, my ass," the man hissed venomously.

"I'm serious!" Slightly horrified, he felt as though he was shrinking.

"D-d...dad..."

They turned her heads to Shion, only to see the girl look at her sister in stunned surprise; the weak tomboy looked at them with her eyes barely open. Keiichi's heart stood still; this was the first sign of awareness he had seen in Mion, and hope started to grow in him, hope that she'd survive... Though, that hope was crushed again when suddenly she began coughing, hoarsely and raspingly in the breathing mask. Irie came over quickly, taking off the mask. Blood was running down her chin, and she was clenching her eyes in pain briefly before opening them again, looking at her father. "M...Mi..." Tears began rolling down her cheeks.

"Mion... I... I don't think you should talk," Keiichi said softly. She turned her head at him, before looking at her sister.

"Kei-chan... she might know who assaulted her.." Shion didn't look at him, focused on her twin.

Mion smiled weakly to Shion, confirmingly, before turning her gaze back to their father, seemingly gathering her courage to speak again. Keiichi already hated how every word was a fight for her.

"Mif-" the girl was interrupted by another coughing, drops of blood leaving crimson dots on the bed sheets, making Shion flinch. A very low moaning sound escaped Mion's lips when she once again closed her eyes in agony. Everyone were looking at her with patience despite their worry. She exhaled deeply before attempting to continue. "-fu.. fune.."

Shion tilted her head, trying to collect the broken word. "Mifune? What's with Mifu- wait, _Mifune _did this!" Her voice was clear with a sudden realization.

Her sister gave her another confirming smile, before she closed her eyes; she had clearly nothing more to say, letting her own exhaustion take over her again.

Keiichi noticed all of the Sonozakis turned solemn, showing hatred and rage with gritted teeth or burning eyes. The twins' father got up, growling as he left. "I'll take care of it..."

"And I'll pretend I know what's going on," Keiichi muttered, not understanding a thing.

"Mifune is a part of our family," Akane began, petting her wounded daughter's arm gently, Irie putting the breathing mask on Mion again. "He, along with a quite large part of our relatives, are against the rest of us. They don't approve of how we have broken the traditions of the past, by letting twins be born."

Confusion hit the boy like a slap across the face. "Letting twins be born? What's the matter with that?"

Shion's voice was dark as she answered him - still looking at Mion -, "According to the traditions of the Sonozaki family, if twins are born, the youngest must be strangled at birth. This is to prevent trouble at choosing the heir. Though, Kei-chan.. it's not something we talk about... as you obviously can see, both Mion and I are here now. Mion was given the tattoo of the oni that is the mark of her heritage."

_Th-that's just sick!_ The boy couldn't - or rather, _didn't want to _- imagine a world without either twin. They both meant so much to him, being some of the greatest friends he had ever had. Yet, crazy as Mifune's actions had been, it made a bit of sense to him now; he and his gang had meant to kill Mion in a symbolic way, by destroying the tattoo, her heritage. That was why they had stripped her upper body; to stab the oni that was marked on her back, and then leaving her to die from her injuries. Hatred burned inside him; not only had they harmed her, they had also broken her privacy. He felt like killing them, right here, right now. His rage was building up slowly, and a few more seconds passed until he mentally had calmed down again. "Shion..?"

"Yeah?" She turned her head to him.

"Your father said he'd.. take care of it-"

"We.. don't talk about that either..."

* * *

**[A/N]**

No, Kei-chan. We don't talk about that.

And this, my dear slave-erh, readers, would be chapter 10. I apologize for the long waiting time, but with exams and the fact I've worked more on another fanfic (Kurushi-hen, if anyone wanted to know that) and the fact I was (weird enough) working more on chapter 11 and 12 when I worked on Apprehension, have resulted in this rather late update.

THOUGH; Chapter 11 AND 12 are also finished now. Though.. you won't get them yet.. mwuahaha..

xD… They'll need some finishing touches, I think.

Either way, I'll go to bed.

Please leave me a review, so tomorrow will be a good day!


	12. Chapter 11: Explanation

**Chapter 11: Explanation**

"No... please... don't..." she wheezed, getting eye-contact with one of the dark figures. The men seemed to grin at her, and sadism lit their eyes. Tears were starting to come forth from the teenage girl, not only in fear, but also from pain; the previously numb limbs were starting to throb with refreshing pain.

Low laughter reached her ears as one of the men tilted his head, his dark eyes showing no mercy. "Heh, you lost... Mion-chan."

Mion narrowed her eyes, trying to steady her flickering sight. "Mi..Mifune? What..."

"Noburo, grab her, Arata, take off her shirt," the large man, Mifune, spoke, ice edging his voice. The much smaller man, Noburo, moved forward, quickly putting his hands around the teenage girl's throat. She wriggled with the best of her efforts, trying to bite his hands, only to feel his grab getting much tighter, his nails boring into her flesh. He held her down on the ground on her stomach, pain burning intensely in every part of her body. Helplessly, the girl felt her shirt getting cut open with the pocket knife Arata had, the yellow cloth getting stripped off her in a matter of seconds. There was barely any time for her mind to react when they took off her bra, any shy embarrassment pushed aside by the pain she felt.

"Stop!" Mion tried to yell, her voice nothing more than a hoarse scratching. She tried to get Noburo's hands away from her throat, only to fail from injuries in her hands, broken bones. "L-leave me a-alone!"

"Di' you sa' som'thin'?" Arata mocked, pressing down on her shoulders from the opposite side of Noburo.

An intense pain suddenly engulfed her as a knife was bored into her back. She screamed to the best of her efforts, trying to wriggle free, only to succumb to the agony that tormented her entire body.

Again and again, she felt the sharp object open her back, and fingers grabbed her skin to peel it off. With each second that passed, Mion felt her senses slowly fade into nonexistence, leaving her with only the pain to feel.

_Help... _

Blood.. it was everywhere. Even if she couldn't see it, she knew it was there, spattered on the ground all around her, oozing from her back. They had stopped the torture, but the pain.. the pain kept going on. Her body was trembling, reacting to the heavy blood loss, the agony, the fear.

They let go of her, getting up and standing all around her, their mere presence mocking the girl. One of them kicked, with full force, their foot into her already-damaged hip, and all air left her stomach in the pain that followed. She longed to cry, but she was too weak to even do so.

"Noburo, wrap that net around her, and we'll be leaving." Mifune and Arata left, while the small man squatted down to Mion, pushing her onto her side. He lifted her head into his hands, staring her into her eyes. "You _are _pretty though," he remarked, putting her head to the ground. "It's sad such an attractive young lady has to die," Noburo said with a grin, running his hand down her breasts. Though, Mion was too exhausted to even react, and barely registered his touching.

"Noburo, unles' you wanna wal' hom' on yer own, ye ought'a com'!"

"Yeah, I'm coming!" Noburo called back, still looking at the girl, "even though it _could _have gotten pretty fun, huh, Mion?" He let out a low laughter, his grin perverted. He entangled her in a fish net, the thin lines easily catching the loose skin on her back. As a finishing touch, she felt her bike getting thrown onto her. The men left her as they had come, climbing back up the rock.

Hours - for Mion, countless - passed. Rain had suddenly poured down from the sky, the sound of an occasional thunder reaching her ears. She couldn't move, her sight was blurring. Pain was throbbing everywhere, the taste of blood was filling her mouth. She could only listen; hear the cars above gradually decrease in number as evening turned to night, the Higurashi crying, their noises more shrill than usual. If they reacted to the smell of blood, she couldn't tell, nor did she care... no; the Higurashi were interesting enough; it wasn't because she didn't care, she just hadn't the energy. With each passing minute, she felt herself get weaker.

_Help me.. _She couldn't remember when she last had needed help, or if she even ever really had, but there was no other thought in her mind, no other plea, no other wish. The girl only longed for someone to save her from the pain, the method irrelevant; if she couldn't be saved, then so be it; she'd rather die than feel like this.

...She heard him... the silence had been broken at one point, a voice, familiar despite her frail senses, had called her name. Yet, unable to answer it, she had lied on the wet ground, witnessing with her hearing how his voice stopped calling for her, as if he left the theory that she was down here.

Her very last hope had left her. This was the end.

_Such a tragic, tragic fate... _

A weak, wry smile formed her lips; this was so unreal, but it was the reality. She would die here. There would be nothing after she closed her eyes. For the first time in her life, she would have to give up.

One mental image shone brightly in her head once her eyes closed; a picture of everyone, the whole club.. Keiichi, Shion, Rena... Satoshi and Satoko... Rika and Hanyū.. and herself.. they were all there with her, playing card games. The memory would save her, she told herself. In her need for comfort, her mind convinced herself that this was all a terrible dream, and once she woke up, they'd all be there.. they'd all be playing a game, and the two boys would lose it as always, becoming the source for entertainment for everyone else.

A weak light touched her face once, making her open her eyes, only to realize it was no nightmare. Though, ever so faintly, she saw _him_; and somewhere deep inside her, she knew that she would be saved.

**'''''**

"Mion, it's our turn."

"Oh.. Right, sorry," the girl smiled, and looked at the cards in Keiichi's hand. She cast a brief look at the card pile in front of her, on the white blanket; a four of spades, eight of hearts and a three of spades. Shion and Rena, the ones who'd laid the four of spades, were looking anxiously and expectantly at her. Mion grinned, and took a two of spades, adding it to the pile.

"Damn," Shion muttered, and took the cards in the pile. "Not again..."

A month had passed since the assault, and ever since Mion had been strong enough to complain about boredom, Rena had suggested they'd all come to the clinic after school, playing games as they had always done. Though, Mion only had her left hand to rely on, as her opposite wrist was still in much pain, so they tended to play games where they could split in teams of two. Although there were no penalties for losing, everyone were always giving their best, playing the games to fullest.

Today, the game was Hearts. They had split into the groups of Mion-Keiichi, Keiichi sitting beside his teammate on the bed, Shion-Rena, on chairs to Mion's right, Rika-Hanyū, sitting on the bed's foot end, and Satoko-Satoshi, taking chairs to Mion's left.

If she said she wasn't happy, then Mion would've lied; true, she'd never forget the horrible incident, never get rid of the memories, but as long as she had her friends, she was happy. Their warmth and care was all she really needed.

"How many hearts do you two have!" Shion, having put a ten of clubs, exclaimed, looking displeased at the two mikos as they put yet another heart in the pile.

"Apparently, enough to take you out," her boyfriend, Satoshi, winked, his sister placing a five of clubs.

Mion looked at her and Keiichi's cards, looking for the highest of clubs, realizing they had none of that suit.

"Now would be a good time to use this," Keiichi snickered, "unless you feel sorry for your sister and Rena?"

Mion looked at the two, Shion already having a hopeless expression, Rena giving her the 'puppy eyes'. Then she took the queen of spades and placed it on the pile.

"Tch.. I knew it.." Shion muttered, taking the pile. "Rena, we lost."

"Perhaps Shii-chan and Rena shouldn't have used all the low cards in the beginning, I wonder..." Rena muttered, putting an eight of diamonds; the game was still running.

The tomboy looked out of the window. Snow was falling, but it was still not cold enough for the flakes not to melt once they touched the ground. She sighed soundlessly; Mion had longed to have a tense snowball fight with especially Keiichi, but she'd have to wait till next year. It'd take a really long while before her body would've mended, and Irie had already warned her that she might never be perfectly capable anymore, though, at she same time, he'd said he was certain she would be able to do all the things she used to. Only her back would remain an obvious memory; it'd never heal. Her back would forever be one huge mess of tattooed skin and scars.

Rika, after a while, put a nine of diamonds out. Mion narrowed her eyes; it seemed the two of them only had diamonds and hearts, so they weren't out of harm's way now. Unless the Hojos put a diamond of a higher value, the pile would go to the mikos.

Satoshi laid an ace of heart, and Keiichi quickly followed up with their jack of hearts.

"Hauu, I think we're feeling their avenge, nano desu..." Hanyū murmured, taking the pile. Then her despaired expression turned grim as she put a two of hearts.

"Damn.." Keiichi whispered, making Mion look at their cards; they had a few cards of that suit, but they were all pretty high, so unless the Satoshi or Shion had either a queen or king of hearts they had to give, then they'd possibly get four additional points.

Satoko put a three of hearts. Mion laid ten of hearts, making Shion laugh when Rena put a five of hearts.

Taking the pile, Mion cast a brief glance toward the door, seeing Irie standing there, smiling at them all.

_Yes-yes, I know, we're looking really adorable altogether.._

* * *

**[A/N]**

And that, would be the last chapter, people. Can I challenge you to a game of Hearts? Please? You have no frikn idea how awesome I am at that game. I'm not one to boast, but I've won that game against the computer with only 13 points (which was a clicking-accident), where all three opponents had +60. (To those who doesn't know; Hearts is about having fewest points possible. When one player reaches 100 points, the game ends.)

So, how did you like Apprehension?  
I'll upload the Epilogue tomorrow. I might upload Sixty Seconds (a oneshot) later today though. Depends.


	13. Epilogue: Affection

**Epilogue: Affection**

The snow lay thick outside the school's window, and the boy watched it as new snowflakes gently fell down from the sky. It was the end of November, just a bit less than three months since the incident. He remembered how Mion displeased had revealed how she had hoped to bathe him in snowballs, and a sorrow fell over his heart, knowing that they couldn't fight with snow until the next winter - maybe unless the snow lasted till February, and Mion would have a quick recovery, but even so, she'd probably be vulnerable. They wouldn't be able to fight as wildly as they wanted to.

Keiichi sighed, turning his head back to his book. It was so silent these days, and even moreso with also Shion missing today. He was slightly worried that the sister was in danger, but quite a few students were catching colds lately; he shouldn't be scared.

A knocking sound came from the door, and turning his head, he saw Shion open the door, entering the room, carrying two bags. "Sorry, we tried to tell our parents we'd be late, but they didn't listen!"

_'We'? Mion?_

"Move your butt, old man coming through," Mion's grumbling voice sounded behind Shion, making the sister move aside. The tomboy came in, walking on crutches. Chie gave them a welcoming greeting, while the class stared at them. Mion blinked, their sudden intense attention clearly making her anxious.

"Mii-chan!" Rena finally exclaimed, breaking the silence as she got up.

"H-hey-hey, Rena! No hugs or take-homes, the old man here is fragile!"

The red-haired girl hesitated, but then gave Mion a careful hug anyway. At the same time, Shion left her sister's side to place the bags by the respective tables.

"I told ya she'd make it," Keiichi said to her. Shion didn't reply, but a relieved and happy smile curved her lips.

**'''''**

"Kei-chan," Mion looked at him from the door, beckoning him with a waving gesture of her hand. The boy got up from his seat and walked across the classroom, the students not even noticing him as they chatted in the break.

"What's the matter?" He smiled to his friend as she lead him out in the hallway, her limping with the crutches slightly amusing. Yet, as she looked at him, he noticed exhaustion in her eyes; it was really dragging on her energy to walk around like this. Keiichi felt a worry pricking him. "Is it a good idea you walk around so much? You should rest."

A smile formed on the tomboy's lips. "Me, rest? Hah, what planet did you dump down from? Either way, Irie-sensei wanted me to exercise as much as possible."

"Thought you at least shouldn't go to school?"

"Pff, as if anyone can control _me_! Though, I guess I really _am _an old man now," Mion joked, not able to suppress a low, short laughter. Though, her smile dropped when Keiichi didn't return the amusement. She tilted her head in a questioning matter. "What is it?"

The boy blinked; he was worried for her, but he couldn't just say that. She'd never stop calling him pitiful. "How are you?"

Confusion edged her eyes. "I'm fine. Still having to take painkillers though, but I'm fine."

"How is your back..? Healing..?"

"Ugly, that's what it is," she began, all of her recent happy attitude gone, "and sadly, it'll never heal properly. It'll forever look like one huge mess of ragged scars."

"Sorry.."

"Why? You have nothing to apologize for. It's not your fault I'm not as sexy as I used to be," a new smile curved her lips as she tried to cheer them both up.

He suddenly had to repress himself, almost having said how she'd always be absolutely beautiful to him, but that'd just be cheesy. He felt himself grow hot with embarrassment, hoping she couldn't see it. "Are you absolutely sure you're fine?"

Mion sighed deeply. "Kei-chan, you don't have to worry so much. This old man here's not that easy to push down his throne."

The boy bit his lips; there was one thing he had to ask her, had to know. He knew how proud this girl was, but he feared she was lying, feared that her pride was broken. Keiichi gathered his courage, stumbling with his choice of words. "Mion, I.. I know this is a weird question, and.. I don't care if you've.." his voice grew slightly lower, trying desperately to find suiting words, "if you've had.. uh, 'affairs'.. in the past, but.. if you've had, then, not counting those, are you still.. you know, considering you were a...eh, a virgin, before, are you still-"

"You wanna know if they raped me?" Mion raised an eyebrow.

"...Weeeell.. that's.. another way to put it.."

The girl let out a low laughter. "Certainly trying to put it nicely, huh?" Then her smile dropped, her face darkening solemnly, "but no, although, one of them _did _touch me." She looked away for a brief moment, then shook her head violently as to shake away the memories. "But either way, I'm here now, ain't I? They can go to their well-deserved hell."

Keiichi looked her deep in her eyes, trying to find any trace of sadness; though, she really did seem to have overcome it. "Anyway," he broke the silence, "I assume you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah. I really just.. wanted to say thanks."

Rather surprised, he noticed how Mion's tone and attitude changed completely. There was no amusement quivering in her eyes, only a deeply serious voice.

There was no self-confident jokes as she continued. "I wouldn't have had a chance of survival, if you hadn't found me. I'd end up as a rotting corpse with no pride, becoming maggot food. Would've been a horrible death, having to suffer till the very end... but thanks to you, I'm still here. I wouldn't have made it without you. I.. kind of owe you my lif-," her pale face turned into a deep shade of red as she cut her own sentence off, starting to stammer, "eh.. owe y-you.. something. Whatever you'd like."

He felt warmth wash over his own head. _Anything? Then that offer with 'your life' didn't sound so bad. _"Eh... it was no problem, really... Just don't you ever scare me so much again, okay?" He ruffled her hair, receiving a surprised and disapproving muttering from her.

The school bell rung. Keiichi gave the girl a smile before turning.

"W-wait, Kei-chan!" She grabbed his arm, her hurt wrist quickly complaining about it when she tugged. The respective crutch fell to the floor, and she had pain in her eyes from the quick movement, change of position, force of balance.

Not understanding what she wanted, he halted, picked up the crutch for her, and supported her until she regained her balance properly. "What is it? We have class now, Mion."

"Screw that, we.. we'll figure some excuse. We'll just say you wanted to keep the slowpoke here company, or something.." Her face was burning with her red blush, and a feeling told Keiichi that something was about to change. "Kei-chan, I.." she swallowed, looking around anxiously. Then she neared him cautiously, leaning herself against him. He felt an extreme warmth run through his veins, the girl putting the crutches against the wall once her balance relied on him, wrapping her arms carefully around him. Her head rested on his shoulder, their heated cheeks touching.

"T-thought you s-said you were f-fragile," Keiichi stammered nervously, remembering what she said to Rena when the red-haired girl had rushed to her.

"Careful," the tomboy whispered, "I am."

Cautiously, the boy let himself return the hug, putting his arms around her - but at the same time, not pressing, trying to avoid inflicting pain on her back.

Mion's voice was nothing but a low whisper as she continued. "Kei-chan... I.. I wouldn't mind if that wasn't the last time you laid beside me.."

Even more heat rose to Keiichi's face. "Y-you... remember that..?"

"I've.. I've always wanted to tell you.. but I was never really sure... but.. I love you, Maebara Keiichi... and I've never been more certain than I am now.."

_Click_, went the boy's brain. Maybe not audible, but it sure felt like it. He felt the girl's breath on his neck, getting stressed with every second that passed; he had to answer her, now, if he wanted to keep it this way. Though, a huge clump had gathered in his throat, making it hard for him to breathe, and impossible for him to speak.

Thankfully for him, the girl broke the silence again. Her voice had become stronger, as if the first step and words had been harder. "I want to be with you. Always. Not just as friends. I trust you, Kei-chan.. I want to put my life in your hands, just as I hope you will put yours in mine.. Is that.. is that okay?" She broke a little off the hug, looking him in his eyes.

Keiichi stared at her, baffled. He was still trying to swallow that painful clump in his throat. "It's.. erh, I mean.. I'll.. eh.. I.." Helplessly and desperate, the boy tried to speak, trying to tell her he wanted the same, but it was impossible for him to use his voice. Even despite he was the 'magician of words' in the club, he was utterly speechless. Then, giving up, he leaned his head closer to Mion's, pressing his lips onto hers in a hope it was answer enough for her. She immediately flinched when their lips touched, but didn't try to get away; rather, she returned the kiss just as softly.

Once they let go of the kiss, and their red faces begun to take their usual pale coloring, both teenagers became more calm now that they were absolutely certain their feelings for the other were returned.

"Don't tell Shion - she'd never leave me alone again.."

Keiichi, having finally gotten rid of his stammering, smiled uncertainly. "At this rate, they'll find out sooner or later."

"Then let it be 'later'," Mion smiled back at him, before putting her head on his shoulder again.

His hand ran through her hair, his fingers intertwining with random strands. He closed his eyes, enjoying every second of his life right now. Their breathing fell into the same rhythm, and Keiichi was aware of one thing; their souls were bound by an invisible chain; a chain he intended to never let break.

* * *

**[A/N]**

And that, will be the very ending of Apprehension. Now, _The Minister of Silly Walks_ made me aware of the fact that I never really answered the prologue. I tried to find somewhere fitting in the epilogue, but… I suppose I failed that one.

In the case I need to clear up just about what happened in the prologue; Mion was aware of the fact that Mifune and his gang were after her. She didn't want to attend her martial arts, because she was certain they'd track her down. Though, she had no idea of _what_ they'd do to her. I hope this makes some sense.

Giving my own words and thoughts on Apprehension; it was alright fun. It wasn't something I worked on daily, except the last week where I felt a sudden need of finishing it. At some points, I even had to force myself to begin (however, after having begun the first few sentences, the rest came with my pleasure).

Though, I must admit, Apprehension will probably never be my favorite of all the fanfics I have in mind. Not even out of the short-stories. I'd prefer _Too Late_ or _Unhappiness_ (both are tentative titles… neither are uploaded) but I suppose it might just be taste. Now, of course, all you slave-…eh, readers, have no idea what those two fanfics are about, and I'll have to say that it's uncertain when you'll see them.

My working schedule tells me to upload Sixty Seconds very, very soon… and after that, it'll be Kurushi-hen, my pride, my huge… too long fanfic, that's gonna kill me. And if not the fanfic kills me, then some reader will, because I'm pretty mean in that one… (let's just say that quite a few characters aren't… too happy to see me approach my writing software.)

Please leave a review for the girl. Now, if you'll excuse me, I will disappear into a flame of shadow…

…until next time.

~ Cherrylin


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